The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-08-31
HE WAS ONCE HANGED.
Marvellous Escape of q Negro From ).
Death on the GailowS.
(From the Worcester Telegram.

(From the Worcester Te!egram.)
Yesterday afternoon colored mai
was taken Ill on the common, and woult
have fallen but for the timely assistance
of two bystanders. The man had beer
wandering about the common since
morning, and had been noticed on &C
count of the peculiar way in which ht
carried his head It hung toward hi
right shoulder, and he seemed to takt
no pains to pull it into the position il
which people commonly carry thel.
heads. He was respectfully dressed il
clothes that had evidently not beer
made for him, and bis boots looked as i
he had walked considerable distance.
When he had been assisted to seat
he tainted, and when he regained con
sciousness he clutched at his throat
tore away his collar and said appealing
", s'No, No! Ny God! Not again." Hi:
embarrassment when he looked abou'
him was marked. One of the gentlemen
who had assisted him to seat left wheI
the colored man had recovered, but the
other remained and questioned him as
soon as he had recovered his composure,
He did not belong in Worcester he
said, and he had never been here before,
He had walked from New Haven, beg
ging shelter and food as he went, and
had only got to this city IN the early
morning. He had no friends and he
said he was not able to work. The man
seemed weak and furried by his faintness
and the humane person who had
remained by his side took him to res
taurant and saw him properly fed. Il
was in burst of gratitude and conf
dence at being so we'll treated that the
colored man told tale so utterly mar
velous as 10 be utterly unworthy Ct
credence were it not corroborateG by
known facts.
It was sitting in the common after he
had dined that he said: 81 have had
trouble with my neck and been subject
to fainting spells ever since I was hanged
in Arkansas. y
The expression was startling enough
to make anyone think the man was
crazy; but he was circumstantiai as to
details of time and place, and it is a well
known fact that negro was legally
hanged three years ago in Arkansas Tor
assault on white woman and afterwards
recovered consciousness.
The case attracted much attention ct
the time. As published the negro was
suspended for 20 minutes after the drop
OF the c:1-fashioned platform gauows
fell and the BODY was given by the sheriff
to the father OF the young man who,
with some friends, was waiting near by
with the wagon. 1t was the intention to
take him to the settlement where he
formerly lived and bury him there. This
settlement vas II miles from the county
seat, at which the hanging took place,
ard was through & lonely piece OF coun-
try. When the wagon was nearly at
home the father of the supposed corpse
and his friends were startled by sroans
coming from under the tarpaulin, thrown
over the supposed dead man, and his
struggles to get from under it. AS soon
as they had recovered from their fright
thev went back to the wagon, iron
which they had fled, and helped the
legally dead man up, gave him drink
IRON the omnipresent Jug OF whisky and
took him home. Instead OF leaving the
settlement at once, the hanged man
stayed around his old home, and the
superstitious colored people demanded
his rearrest and the completion OF the
hanging. The case was taken to the
governor, and pending discussion as to
tie right of the authorities to take
cognizance OF the existence of convict
who had been pronounced legally dead,
the man fled and has been a wanderer
ever since.
The story OF the negro conceded with
the case as recalled, and there was no
room to doubt that he really was the
Arkansas culprit.
It was only after repeated urging,
sweetened with promises OF help to leave
the city in comfort. that he told hls
story in the dialect of Southern field
hand, somewhat tempered by residence
in the North. Divested OF its quaint
dialect, his tale is weirdly and perhaps
morbidly interesting.
81 was locked up" he said, "more
than six months, but never thought l
was going to be hanged until the night
before. Then I knew the gallows was
up and I got scared. They prayed will
me all the time and tried to keep me
from thinking Of it, but didn't hear what
they prayed about. | was too excited.
I didn't 60 to sleep all the night before,
and when they came to fetch me l was
so weak I couldn't stand up. The
sheriff gave me drink of whisky and
then tied my elbows behind my back
and took me along. I know there was
crowds around when I went to the gal
lows, but didn't seem to see 'em. I
heard somebody singing and joined in.
Then they pushed me up on the gallows,
and saw the rope and got scared again
and tried to hang back, but they pushed
me along and made me stand mp
straight. I recollect their putting the
moose on my neck and drawing it up
tight, but I was thinking Of whether
they were going to hurt me and all at
once I dropped. I had shut my eyes
when they pulled piece of CLOTH over
nv face, but l opened them then and
tried to get my hands up to tear the
cloth oil so could see; but all at once
thought some one hit me terrible blow
on the head and lost my senses. When
I woke up I thought some one was
choking me and tried to get loose, bnt |
couldn't. Then it seemed as if my head
was bursting and I saw awful lights be-
fore my eyes, and my feet and hands
seemed to be SO heavy I couldn't stir
them. Then great rings OF al sorts OF
hrinLt colors began al my eyes and went